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“May
I ask why did the duck take to the water?” It was a rhetorical question.
Vortimer looked at Gildas when he asked the question. They were in the prayer
session then.
“Well,
it's their nature to do so. They like the water and their webbing feet paddle
well there.” Gildas replied, and then looked at the other.
“Why
do you ask?” Gildas was curious.
“Nothing
to be concerned about. I was just curious.” Vortimer replied. His mind drifted
back to his avoidance of the lady named Rowena. He had seen her in the castle
but chose to avoid talking to her. For once in his lifetime, he was afraid.
“Why
should I be afraid of her?” Vortimer had questioned himself, but he could find
the answer. He spends his time with the Lords on the situation on the land.
“The
Amoricans have crossed back to their land. The Anglo-Saxons have left with
remnants of those here hunted by our army.” Lord Cornell reported to the new
King. “We faced no reprisals from the Danes or the Picts.”
Vortimer
breathed in a sigh of relief with those words. He felt then for once the
Kingdom was secured. He was to speak when he saw the arrival of Vortigern and
his lady.
“May
I approach, King Vortimer?” Vortigern asked. Vortimer nodded to the request.
“I
was advised that you have repelled all the raiders and barbarians. You have
done more than what I had done.” Vortigern smiled at the other. “Your Lords are
obliging.”
“Speak
quick, Vortigerm. We are in conference here.” Lord Cornell looked at the other.
“We have …”
“No
time to be wasted? I can see that in the discussion.” Vortigern cut in before
he looked at Vortimer. “I am here to offer you a feast as King.”
“I
am not with huge wealth, but enough to host a feast. The portion of it will be
sufficient to cover the food and drinks. May I use your hall for that?” Vortigern
asked. “I am …without one as huge as this.”
Cynism
was in the tone of the defeated King, but what was distracting was Vortimer’s
stare at the lady standing behind Vortigern.
“My
King, this is our hall and shall not…” Lord Cornell objected but Vortimer held
up his hand to silence the Lord.
“We
will hold the feast here.” Vortimer agreed to it, watching the lady smile at
him. “It will be done the day after tomorrow.”
Lord
Vortigern and his lady left the hall with Lord Cornell seething with anger, The
Lord asked Vortimer about his decision.
“Are
we to allow Vortigern to host the feast
here? Were his guests to attend? Anglo-Saxons? Picts perhaps? The last time the
Picts were here, they killed the King.”
“Enough,
Lord Cornell!” Vortimer for the first time as King raised his voice to the
Lord. “I have decided.”
A
wise decision it was when Vortigern requested the feast, for he was keen to
mend the relationship with Vortimer. Ever since his abdication from the throne,
Vortigern was quietly building up his allies. He started with the Lords, not in
the favor of the new King. He met them singularly on many pretexts of issues to
discuss or to share a feast, or drink. He was elusive to bring up the matter of
the old alliance and then gauge their willingness to side with him. Some Lords
were obligatory while some were coaxed into it by preserving their borders from
raiders.
“The
Picts held me still in their favor,” Vortigern assured the nervous Lords. “The
Anglo-Saxons are my blood relatives now.”
Vortigern
pushed forth his lady to appease the Lords; “We are a family.”
“What
of the Amoricans? The young princes?” Vortigern was queried by one whom he met.
“Did
they come? Who was it? Aurelius or the youngest Uther? I heard they did and
pursue the Anglo-Saxons to the coasts but they did not engage in any battles.
It was all a show of … influence? The young cubs with their new fangs think
they are ready to take back their land from Vortimer. I doubt so. They have
retreated to their own.” Vortigern used his words to ridicule the young
princes. “They are without their father’s courage.”
“They
have no assistance of Lord Cornell.” Lady Rowena added in. The mention of Lord
Cornell’s name angered the other Lords who felt that Lord Cornell had taken to
the new King’s side as his adviser and thus subdue their influence in the hall.
Emotions of rage mixed with the free flow of meads and intoxicated by the
scents of the lady, the discussion soon turned to favor Vortigern.
“I
believe to have snared another Lord to my cause,” Vortigern whispered to his
lady soon after the discussion with the lord ended. “Lord Bannion will be with
me.”
“Do
I detect selfishness in you, love? I have done my part too.” Rowena retorted to
the other. “All of you men are the same. Only the works of yours matter.”
“Nay,
my love. I treasured your charms too.” Vortigern looked to his younger lover.
“Your scent is intoxicating.”
Intoxicating
was the works of the scent prepared for Rowena by her servants. She recalled
during her younger days the works of the scents will work in their favor.
“We
held nothing with us except the alluring heavenly body to entice men.” The
elderly lady had coached her when young. “You must learn other skills.”
Rowena
was taught the art of healing which included making potions for various
ailments.
“Nothing
needs healing unless it’s sick. If need to get someone sick, you need to learn
how to make potions of poison. Some potions may kill immediately or over some
time. The signs of poisoning could be from irritation in the body to bursting
sores or chronic ailments. The most
crucial part of the lesson was to avoid the poisoned person knowing it was from
you.”
“Everywhere
we may be, there are elements of herbs or creature droppings that we can use.”
Rowena learned then the items which she can use. Some were given to her by
loyal servants like the deadly mushroom.
The
feast soon came to the hall, and the gathered were all gaily celebrating the
occasion. Rowena was doing her role then as hostess to greet the guests that
were in favor of her.
“Drinc
heil!” That call resonated in the hall which amused the Voritmer so that he
asked Vortigern what it meant.
“I
heard of it but hardly knows its true words.”
“It
meant drink till you die, Vortimer.” Vortigern told the other. “Rejoice.”
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